God exists for everyone in the world. God can be found in Ghana, Israel, Canada, Denkyira, etc. God knows about and acknowldeges Tigare, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Akonnedi, etc. But God does not like evil people: those who kil ... read full comment
God exists for everyone in the world. God can be found in Ghana, Israel, Canada, Denkyira, etc. God knows about and acknowldeges Tigare, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Akonnedi, etc. But God does not like evil people: those who kill others, steal from others, those who make others poor, those who see others as inferior, those who marginalize others, etc.
Campus Ministry Report 11 years ago
You need to come to the knowledge of God(the Covenant God of Israel) who has extended his covenant relationship to all nations that we should be reconciled to him in a way that his mandated, and that is through Jesus Christ,h ... read full comment
You need to come to the knowledge of God(the Covenant God of Israel) who has extended his covenant relationship to all nations that we should be reconciled to him in a way that his mandated, and that is through Jesus Christ,his Son.
I encourage you to challenge yourself to investigate this, in all sincerity.
Jesus is the WORD of God who became flesh and dwelt among humanity and his glory was beheld as the only begotten of the Father, full of Grace and Truth.
Jesus Christ did come into the world to present comparative religion.He came to prove the authenticity of inspired Jewish scriptures and ascribed the writings to himself as the one who was prophesied by all the Prophets.
Jesus Christ was first prophesied by God himself when Adam and Eve fell(The SEED who was to come through the lineage of Abraham).
And, for you to be aware that God means business with regards to how He ought to be worshiped, you can learn from the scriptures with regards to the Jewish people who were the custodians of the ORACLES of God.
And all these have been written for our instructions.
It pains me to see noble men and women who die in ignorance (without Christ, the Son of God), that is why I submit postings to challenge many to know that it is Life and Death. It is not fun at all.
The covenant relationship that God has established with humanity is through his Son.
All the promises of God can be received through Christ. As his creation there are things we receive freely regardless of whether we are Christians or not. They include free air, sunshine, rain etc. The righteous and the unrighteous have the opportunity to enjoy all these.
There are also special blessings that comes to us by virtue of the fact that we have receive Christ
Most importantly Life Eternal
God acknowledges that we come to him through Jesus Christ the one through whom creation came into being and there is no controversy about that 2 Corinth 10 4 and 5.
Of course we have freedom of religion It is however up to the individual to make a choice
Campus Ministry Report 11 years ago
Should be
Jesus Christ did NOT come into the world to present comparative religion.He came to prove the authenticity of inspired Jewish scriptures and ascribed the writings to himself as the one who was prophesied by all t ... read full comment
Should be
Jesus Christ did NOT come into the world to present comparative religion.He came to prove the authenticity of inspired Jewish scriptures and ascribed the writings to himself as the one who was prophesied by all the Prophets.
KOFI SAM 11 years ago
JESUS DID NOT ASK US TO GO TO THE WESTERN WALL IN JERUSALEM TO PRAY. GOD IS EVERYWHERE, GOD IS IN YOUR HEART. WHO SAYS GOD IS IN JERUSALEM? ONLY A PERSON WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THE BIBLE.
GOD IS EVERYWHERE.
JESUS DID NOT ASK US TO GO TO THE WESTERN WALL IN JERUSALEM TO PRAY. GOD IS EVERYWHERE, GOD IS IN YOUR HEART. WHO SAYS GOD IS IN JERUSALEM? ONLY A PERSON WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THE BIBLE.
GOD IS EVERYWHERE.
NYAME BA 11 years ago
The Conjoined Twins And Mighty 'Men Of God’
....................................
When I heard of the conjoined twins at Komfo Anokye hospital I wished this was in the time of Jesus. Peter and Mark would rush to the gre ... read full comment
The Conjoined Twins And Mighty 'Men Of God’
....................................
When I heard of the conjoined twins at Komfo Anokye hospital I wished this was in the time of Jesus. Peter and Mark would rush to the great teacher and miracle worker screaming “Rabbi, Rabbi, you have to come quick, there are conjoined twins that need to be separated.” Jesus would rush to the home of the twins. The distraught mother of the twins would prostrate herself at the master’s feet crying uncontrollably. Jesus would walk to the bed and lay his hands on the babies. He would say a short prayer. Right before the eyes of the small crowd that had gathered, the tissues that joined the two babies would be heard separating. Not before long, it was done! The babies would be separated! The crowd would wonder and marvel and go away praising God.
Unfortunately, this is not the first century. Dr. Boateng Nimako and his team tried their very best at komfo Anokye, but the babies did not survive, probably because we do not have the medical equipment to keep them alive. Collectively, our heart is broken as a nation. Psychologically, we are defeated. We wanted to tell the world that our doctors are capable, that we have arrived, that we are not some banana republic. We wanted to celebrate with the parents and family of the babies. After the Black Stars painful elimination, this would have been a soothing balm to our bruised soul.
As a Christian, several questions come to my mind. Ghana has more prophets and pastors with big titles than any nation in the world, next to Nigeria. How come no prophet came forward to perform a miracle to separate the babies? My pastor says if you believe, you can perform miracles, just like Jesus did. Anytime there is a serious medical emergency like this one, our miracle-working pastors are nowhere to be found. Their best excuse is to ask us to pray for the doctors. They go back to performing their ‘miracles’ after it is all over.
The Yoruba prophet T. B. Joshua is known all over Africa through his Emmanuel TV, for performing “miracles” but when a case like this arises, he is missing in action, he is silent . There is a deafening silence among these prophets and pastors. Are their miracles only on TV? Where is Duncan-Williams and Mensah-Otabil? Where is Rev. Owusu-Bempah? Where are all the men of God?
Jesus performed many miracles. He fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread. He spoke to a storm to calm down. He walked on water. He put back a soldier’s severed ear. How come no man of God is able to walk on water or calm the seas or put back an ear today? The only miracle these pastors perform is cast out demons. That’s it! They all claim to cast out demons- look for some psychologically disturbed individual and speak in tongues at them, sprinkle holy water on them and voila! You are a great prophet, a wondrous worker of miracles! Is it because this is one miracle everyone can fake? There is also the ubiquitous wheel chair miracle. There is never the healing of someone with withered and twisted legs. Always the person in a wheel chair forced to run across the stage. Can any of these men of God just perform some real miracle for once?
Are there miracles today? It would be great to see a man of God part the Volta into two like Moses did the Red Sea. What about a man of God command fire from heaven like Elijah? A really impressive one would be a man of God making a 90yr old woman have a baby like Abraham’s wife Sarah. God is the same, he does not change, as the Bible says, how come these miracles don’t happen through our so-called prophets today?
We are tired of the healing crusades where all these’ men of God’ do is pretend to cast out demons and make people with normal legs walk. If you note carefully, they never heal the people with twisted, broken legs. They all recycle the same old tired miracle tricks. These are not miracles, these are tricks to take money away from poor and sick people.
Our politicians, NDC or NPP, love these fake miracles because instead of us pressuring them for modern equipment and facilities at hospitals like Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye, we put our hopes in miracles from the honey-coated lips of ‘men of God’. Instead of questioning the fat salaries of those in parliament, while our hospitals are death traps, we go to church and fast and pray and pay tithes and cower in the self-deluding belief that when there are conjoined twins, we can miraculously separate them in the name of Jesus.
By Kwame Asempa
Campus Ministry Report 11 years ago
The New Jerusalem
Randall Price
The New Jerusalem is describe
d in Scripture as “the Jeru
salem above” (Galatians 4:26),
“the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem,” (Hebrews 12:22) and “the holy city ... read full comment
The New Jerusalem
Randall Price
The New Jerusalem is describe
d in Scripture as “the Jeru
salem above” (Galatians 4:26),
“the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem,” (Hebrews 12:22) and “the holy city” that
“comes down out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21
:2, 10). In the Old Testament it is seen as
primarily as the abode of God whereas in the New Testament it is
also the heavenly home of the
saints. The sacred structures within the heaven
ly city contributed the
heavenly design for the
earthly Tabernacle and Temple, and in its futu
re descended form as the “Tabernacle of God
among men” (Revelation 21:3) it will constitute
a celestial Temple that is both physical
(Revelation 21:12-21) and spiritua
l (Revelation 21:22). An examina
tion of the pertinent biblical
texts reveals the extent to which this heaven
ly reality has occupied both past and prophetic
expectation.
The New Jerusalem in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament the concept of a heav
enly Jerusalem is implied in the contrast
between an earthly and heavenly “mountain” and
“sanctuary” (Tabernacle and Temple). Ezekiel
refers to “the holy mountain of God” as well
as “sanctuaries” which are in heaven (Ezekiel
28:14, 16-17). By contrast Psalm 2 refers to “God
who sits in the heaven
s” and “Zion, My holy
mountain” (Psalm 2:4-5). The former refers to the place where the God is enthroned in heaven
while the latter refers to the earthly Jerusale
m where God will enthrone His “king” (Messiah)
after the overthrown of earthly na
tions in the Battle of Armageddon.
Davidic Psalms also refer to
God being in His “house” or “Temple” (Psalm 11:4; 23:6; 26:8; 27:
4; 138:2), although the
Temple was not built until after David’s death. Such references must then be to the heavenly
Temple, an identification which one psalm makes
explicitly: “The Lord is in His holy Temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven
...” (Psalm 11:4a). Based on the He
brew structure of parallelism,
“holy Temple” and “throne in heaven” must refer to the same thing. Both Moses (Exodus 25:9,
40) and David (1 Chronicles 28:11-19) were show
n the heavenly Temple and used it as a pattern
(Hebrew
tabnit
) for the later construction of the earthly Sanctuary (Tabernacle and First
Temple). If there is a heavenly Temple, would th
ere not also be a heavenly Jerusalem, since the
earthly structures were copied after the heavenly (Hebrews 9:23)? The objection to this is that
these things appear in heaven (Revelation 11:19;
15:5-8), in the Tabernac
le/Temple where Christ
returned at His ascension (Hebrews 9:11), and
the New Jerusalem only has its source from
heaven (Revelation 21:2, 10). Furthermore,
the New Jerusalem is specifically stated
not
to have a
Temple (Revelation 21:22). But even if these pa
ssages do not describe the New Jerusalem, but
rather the heavenly court of God (in the Third H
eaven), they prepare the reader by the existence
of a heavenly reality related to
the earthly for this concept.
While the concept of the New Jerusalem is not
explicitly
taught in the Old Testament, it is
implicit
in those texts which deal with the eternality
and inviolability of Jerusalem. For example
in a text which combines both of these elements
we read: “Those who trust in the Lord are as
Mount Zion, which cannot moved, but abides
forever” (Psalm 125:1). However, the Old
Testament prophets also predicted
that the neither the present earth
or heaven would not continue
(Isaiah 34:4). Therefore, Old Testament theologians seeking to harmonize this seeming
contradiction, must have reasoned that if Jeru
salem is to remain eternally, a New Jerusalem
would be created to fulfill such prophecies. This
is, in fact, implied in those passages where the
prophecies of a restored Jerusa
lem is joined to those of a new heaven and new earth. For
example, in the prophet Isaiah we read: “For
behold, I create new heav
ens and a new earth; and
the former things shall not be remembered or co
me to mind. But be glad
and rejoice forever in
what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem ...
(Isaiah 65:17), ... My holy mountain Jerusalem
... I will also take some of them for priests a
nd Levites, says the Lord. For just as the new
heavens and the new earth which I make will e
ndure before Me, declares the Lord, so your
offspring and your name will endure” (Isaiah 66:20-22).
Despite the association of Jeru
salem with a new creation, there
is still some ambiguity in
these contexts. In Isaiah 65:17-25 th
e context reveals that it is th
e Millennial Kingdom that is in
view, since there is death (verse 20), decay (ver
se 22), and giving birth (verse 23). However, the
opening statement of the section (v
erse 17) concerns the new heav
ens and earth. This could be a
general introduction with the millennial description following as pr
eliminary specifics, yet it is
unclear. In Isaiah 66:10-24 the same period seems to
be in view from verses 10-21, but with the
comparison to the new heavens and earth it app
ears to move into the eternal state (note the
statement of eternal punishment in verse 24). Ne
vertheless, later Judais
m apparently understood
these implications and built upon them.
The New Jerusalem in Later Judaism
The goal of the restoration was conformity
to the divine ideal as
expressed by both the
pre-exilic and post-exilic prophets. Since the earth
ly restoration after the exile did not achieve
this, it was obvious that
a heavenly help was required. Theref
ore, the first de
velopment of the
concept appeared in the Jewish apocalyptic litera
ture and the Jewish midrashim of the post-exilic
Second Temple period. In general these extra-biblic
al documents describe a heavenly Jerusalem,
perfect in every respect, that ei
ther replaces or transforms the im
perfect earthly Jerusalem as the
pinnacle of restoration. The following Jewish a
pocryphal and pseudepigr
aphical texts contain
references to the New Jerusalem concept whic
h are regarded as apocalyptic: Tobit 13:8-18;
Testament of Dan 5:12-13; Sybilline Oracles
5:420-27; I Enoch 90:28-29; 2 Esdras 7:26; 10:25-
28; 13:36, and 2 Baruch 4; 32:1-4. Included among
these apocalyptic writings are the Dead Sea
Scroll documents which contain an apocalyptic
text known as The New Jerusalem. Extant only
in a collection of fragmentary copi
es from four different caves (
2Q24
,
4Q554
,
4Q555
,
5Q15
,
11Q18
) it records a vision of the New Jerusalem
after the fashion of Ezekiel’s vision of
Millennial Jerusalem and Temple (Ezekiel 40
-48). Like Ezekiel and the Revelation, its
dimensions are much greater than the ancient ci
ty of Jerusalem. Too, the language describing the
city’s construction is similar, including such de
tails as the twelve gate
s of the city, each named
for one of the twelve tribes, beautiful walls an
d stonework all of pure
gold, streets paved with
white stone of alabaster and onyx and living waters.
In addition, this text notes that the time for
the appearance of this New Jerusalem comes afte
r the final end time battle in which Israel
emerges victorious over the Gentile nations and Is
rael has been restored
in glory. Because this
structure appears to be of earth
ly construction and houses a new
Temple, it is thought to be a
statement of the restored Jerusalem of the Mill
ennial Kingdom. Even so,
it bears witness to the
New Jerusalem tradition in Second Temple Judais
m that most likely would have been known by
Jesus and the writers of the New Testament.
In the Talmudic age, the Sages sought to in
struct a Jewish community without an access
to earthly Jerusalem. It had lost both its Temple
and city, but not its promis
es. Therefore, like in
Christianity, an emphasis was placed on what c
ould not be lost or de
stroyed, the heavenly
Jerusalem (even while retaining the
hope of restoration of
the earthly). For example, we hear the
rabbis explain: “Not only on the face of this
earth is there a Jerusalem, called in Hebrew
Yerushalaim Shel Matta
(“Jerusalem the Lower”), but also in heaven is there such a city:
Yerushalaim Shel Maalah
(“Jerusalem the Upper”).” According to the Judaism of the late
Second Temple and the Talmudic periods, the New
Jerusalem appears as both present and future.
For example, the Talmud records
that the Heavenly City, although to
be realized in the Age of
Redemption, could already be seen in moment
s of grace by the righte
ous, and could receive
inspiration from it. Even so, the Talmud makes the Heavenly Jerusalem subservience to the
earthly Jerusalem, probably in reaction to Ch
ristianity, which emphasized the Heavenly
Jerusalem and identified with it in replacement of the earthly Jerusalem. There are several
references to the Heavenly Jerusalem in the Zohar, the extra-biblical text revered by Kabbalistic
(mystical) Judaism. It says that it was created by
God to house the souls of the righteous. It also
makes a distinction between earthly Jerusalem, which it identified with the kingdom, or the
Shekhinah
(the indwelling Presence of
God), and the Heavenly Jerusalem which it identied with
the higher
Shekhinah
, the
sefira
of
binah
(“understanding”), and also The World to Come.
Therefore, it appears that Judaism understood
a presently existing New
Jerusalem, which would
be realized in their Millennial
era, yet continue into the final age, the World to Come.
The New Jerusalem in
the New Testament
The New Testament follows the Old Testament concept of “the heavenly Jerusalem” in
such passages as Hebrews 13:14 where the goal of the godly is declared to be a “heavenly city.”
This hope is projected in Hebrews back to Isra
el’s beginning in Abraham: “By faith Abraham ...
was looking for the city which has foundations, w
hose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews
11:10). This text would indicate that the “h
eavenly Jerusalem” was pre-existent and was
recognized as the place where the right
eous would be at home with God.
In like manner, the New Testament understo
od the Old Testament teaching that the
earthly sanctuaries were constructed according to a divinely revealed pattern based on structures
within the heavenly Jerusalem.
Stephen’s speech in the Book of Acts alludes to Exodus 25:8-9,
40 when it declares: “He who spoke
to Moses directed him to make
it [the Tabernacle] according
to the pattern (Greek
tupon
) which he had seen” (Acts 7:44)
. The author of Hebrews in
comparing the earthly and heavenly sanctuarie
s likewise refers to “the copies (Greek
hupodeigmata
) of the things in the heavens” (Hebre
ws 9:23). In these same contexts, it is
declared that “the Most High does not dwell in
[houses] made by human hands” (Acts 7:48), but
in “the greater and more perfect Tabernacle,
not made with hands ... not of this creation”
(Hebrews 9:11). It should be obs
erved that these heavenly structures are not symbolic, since the
actual earthly structures were made according to
them. This should be kept in mind when
considering the texts in Revelati
on that depict the furniture of the heavenly Temple (Revelation
11:19; cf. 4:5; 5:8; 6:9; 8:3; 9:13; 14:18; 15:5-8; 16:7) and the structural elements and
dimensions of the New Jerusalem itself (Revelation 21:12-21).
The concept of the New Jerusalem also a
ppears in several New Testament texts. In
Galatians 4:26 the Apostle Paul sp
eaks of “the Jerusalem above” in
distinction to “the present
Jerusalem” (verse 25). Even thoug
h this is an analogical (not
allegorical) use for the sake of
comparison, the concept of a heavenly Jerusalem clear
ly exists in Paul’s thinking. The author of
the epistle to the Hebrews also
understood the concept, as he cont
rasted the heavenly Jerusalem
as a place of grace to the earthly
Mount Sinai as a place of the la
w (Hebrews 12:18-22). In this
context he further described the heavenly Jerusa
lem with respect to its inhabitants: “But you
have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to
myriads of angels, to the genera
l assembly of the first-born who
are enrolled in heaven, and to
God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of righteo
us men made perfect, and
to Jesus, the mediator
of a new covenant ... (Hebrews 12:22-24a). In this description the author places as the
inhabitants of the heavenly Jeru
salem: God the Father (Judge), Jesus the Son (Mediator), the
angels, Old Testament believers (“righteous men
made perfect”), and believers of the Church
Age (“church of the first-born”).
This registry of residents acco
rds with both the statements of
the Old Testament concerning the heavenly destin
ation of believers (Job
19:25-27; 2 Kings 2:11;
Psalm 11:7; 73:24) and descriptions of the h
eavenly court and of the population of the New
Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation (see below).
In the aforementioned Hebrews passage, vers
es 26-28 explain that the old creation (the
present heavens and earth) will one day be remove
d leaving that “which cannot be shaken,” the
indestructible kingdom (the heaven
ly Jerusalem) as the eternal i
nheritance of the saints (cf.
Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). This appears to be the same
cosmic dissolution that Peter speaks of as the
climax of the Day of the Lord that results in
“a new heavens and a new ea
rth” (2 Peter 3:10-13).
It is also possible to include with the
Hebrews enrollment of heavenly citizens the
inference to the heavenly Jerusalem in Paul’s declaration that “our [the saints] citizenship is in
heaven” (Philippians 3:20a; cf. Ephesians 2:19). This citizenship is clearly in the Third Heaven,
since it is from this place that
“we eagerly wait for [the comi
ng of] a Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ” (Philippians 3:20
b; cf. Hebrews 12:2).
The Description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation
The use of the term “New Jerusalem” (Greek
ten hagian Ierousalem
) is found only in the
Book of Revelation. Because the book was written after the destruction of the Temple in
Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (at the end of the reign of the Roman emperor Domition about A.D. 90),
some commentators have suggested that the con
cept of a “new” Jerusalem developed in response
to the loss of the “old” Jerusalem. However, the
“old” Jerusalem was never entirely lost to the
Jews and a Jewish population continued there (a
nd on its outskirts even during the Hadrianic
ban) through the following millennia. However, as
we have seen, the concept had existed long
before the Temple’s destruction (in the Old Test
ament, Jewish Apocalyptic literature, and the
New Testament). John, as a Jew, would have been
quite familiar with these texts and traditions.
For example, there exists a close parallel be
tween Revelation 21:22-23, which is part of the
description of the New Jerusalem and an earlie
r Jewish midrash on Isai
ah 60:19 fused with a
midrash on Psalm 132:17. The similarities in th
ese accounts do not mean that John borrowed his
material from the Jewish midrashim, but that
Jews and Jewish-Christians arrived at similar
conclusions concerning the New Jerusalem based on
their interpretation of the same scriptural
texts.
The most complete description of the New Je
rusalem is in Revelation 21-22. John calls it
“the bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Revelati
on 21:9), which has been “made ready as a bride
adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This refers to the place Jesus left to prepare for His
people (His disciples and “those
who believe in Me through thei
r word,” John 17:20) in John
14:2. The background of the marriage metaphor is th
e Jewish custom of the bridegroom husband
leaving the bride at the betrot
hal to prepare a new house where
they would dwell together once
he returned to take away his bride. At the
time the bridegroom returned, the wedding took place,
at which occasion the bride was splendidly adorned. In the same way, the New Jerusalem will
come down from God as the glorious place promised to the Church.
The appearance of the New Jerusalem also finally fulfills the divine ideal purposed in the
earthly Tabernacle and Temple (Exodus 25:8) a
nd in the Church as a “spiritual temple”
(Ephesians 2:21-22) of a holy relationship betw
een the Creator and the creature. The New
Jerusalem is therefore calle
d “the Tabernacle (Greek
skene
for Hebrew
mishkan
, “dwelling”) of
God” since in it God will fo
rever “dwell” among His people
(Revelation 21:3; 22:3-4), and a
“temple” comprised of “the Lord God, the Almight
y and the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22). In this
light, it is significant that the New Jerusalem is
laid out as a “square”
(Revelation 21:16a). The
predicate adjective
"foursquare" (Greek
tetragonos
), describing the dimensions of the city, is
from "four" (Greek
tetra
) and "corner" (Greek
gonos
). This term was also used with reference to
cube-shaped building stones (cf.
BAGD
, p. 821), and indicates here a
tetragonal
(quadrilateral)
structure said to be 1,500 mile
s equally in every direction with walls measuring 72 yards
(estimated as an area of 2,250,000 square miles). This
design of connecting planes of equal size
forming a cube has long been recognized as the uni
que cubical shape of the
Holy of Holies in the
Temple in which the Presence of God dwelt in
the midst of Israel (1 Kings 6:20; 8:10-13; 2
Chronicles 3:8; 5:14-6:2). The New Jerusalem,
then, completes the temporary purpose of the
Holy of Holies in the earthly sanctuaries, wher
e a priest represented the people before God, by
serving as the permanent and unrestricted meeting
place for all the saints (as God’s priests) and
God.
Besides its structural shape,
Revelation details its internal
construction that can only be
compared to precious earthly stones in co
lor and composition. The brilliance and splendor
produced by this vision of iridescent stones of ev
ery color and hue and streets of pure gold like
transparent glass, is the language of accommodati
on. In Exodus 24 when Moses and the elders of
Israel were permitted to see the God of Israel,
their vision of His heavenly court was of “a
pavement of sapphire as clear as
the sky” (verse 10). Too, Ezek
iel’s vision of God’s throne
contained similar descriptions: “something like an
expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal,”
“something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance” (Ezekiel 1:22, 26).
This jeweled adornment of the city read in re
lation to the statement that the city is “the
bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9)
have caused many interprete
rs to conclude that
the whole description of the New Jerusalem is sy
mbolic of the Church (either the redeemed on
earth or in heaven). However, the language here
is metaphorical, the use of an object for what it
contains (the Church
in
the city). In support of th
is is Revelation 21:2 where
the city is said to be
“made ready
as
a bride adorned for her husband,” a clear
use of simile, a literary device that
makes a comparison between two
separate things. Moreover, in
Revelation 22:3b the Church
(“the bond-servants of the Lamb”) is clearly separa
te from the city (in wh
ich they serve), so it
cannot be a symbol of them. In spite of these unusua
l features, the city qua
lifies in every sense as
a physical reality, with measurab
le architectural structures, pl
anned design, building materials,
rivers, trees, and human inhabitants.
What appears (to the reader) as
an incredible description is
to accommodate our present inability to grasp such
heavenly realities. An eternal city designed
for an eternal people, is not of earth, and as th
e handiwork of an infinite God, should not be
expected to conform to human convention. To be
sure this consummation of God’s purpose in
Creation (with a new creation, Re
velation 21:5) produces many comp
arisons with the beginning
of God’s program (in Genesis). One example is desc
ription of the inner city
with “a river of the
water of life,” “the tree of life,
” and “fruits” and “leaves ... for
healing the nations” (Revelation
22:1-2). Although reminiscent of the paradisical Gard
en of Eden (Genesis 2:8-17), there is no
reason to suppose the scene (in eith
er narrative) is symbolic. Li
ke the earthly Tabernacle and
Temple which were patterned after the heavenly or
iginals, so the earthly Garden of Eden could
have been created as an archetype of the New Jerusalem.
The walls of the New Jerusalem reveal that bot
h the saints of Israel
and the Church share
equally in the inheritance of the city. Inscribed
on its twelve gates are the names of the twelve
tribes of Israel while on its
twelve foundation stones are the
names of the twelve apostles
(Revelation 21:12-14). Even though these are all Jewi
sh, they still represent the dispensations of
Israel and the Church (as in Hebrews 12:23). Th
is reminder that the Church’s “foundation of the
apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 2:20), was Jewish
cautions grafted Gentile Christians not to be
arrogance toward the natural branches (Romans
11:18-23). As such, it is fitting that it was still
during the dispensation of Israel when Jesus
the Jewish Messiah a
nnounced to His Jewish
disciples that He was going away [to heaven] to
prepare a place [this city] for them as His bride
(John 14:2). Part of that prepara
tion may be His entrance into the heavenly Holy of Holies as a
High Priest in order to qualify us as pure pr
iests to serve the holy God (Hebrews 9:11-14;
Revelation 22:3b).
The New Jerusalem is further depicted as “hav
ing the glory of God”
(Revelation 21:11a).
This particular feature seems to have most
impressed John, for he emphasized it in his
description of the city. The supe
rnatural illumination of the city
, eliminating the need for the
earthly cycle of day and night, a
nd hence the need for rest or ces
sation of service)
derives from
the Presence of God and Christ (Revelation
21:23; 22:5). The illumination of the city also
extends to the earth, allowing “the nations to
walk by its light” (Revelation 21:24). This verse
and verse 26 also state that the earthly kings
will bring their tribute into the heavenly city.
Gentile pilgrimage to and payment of tribute to
the Messiah at the Millennial Temple in the
earthly Jerusalem was predicted
by the prophets (Isaiah 60:6-9; 66:
18-21; Haggai 2:7; Zechariah
14:16-19).This text may support th
e view that the New Jerusale
m descends to earth over the
earthly Jerusalem during the Millennium so that
the nations respect is ac
corded to God in both
the earthly and heavenly Jerusalem. The immediat
e objection may be that this context describes
the eternal state, not the mille
nnium (Revelation 21:1). However, John may be considering the
position of the people (within and
without the city) without regard
to the position of the city
itself (that is, in the Millennium or eternal state)
. If so, such considerations are not necessarily
bound by the chronology of the immediate contex
t, but determined by
whatever contexts
establish their identity (in this case those texts in the Old Testament which fit the Millennial
Kingdom). In fact, we must also l
ook to another context
to explain the “the br
ide, the wife of the
Lamb” as already in the New Jerusalem before
the eternal state, if it is contended the New
Jerusalem begins with the eternal state rather
than is preexistent. Regardless of when the New
Jerusalem descends from heaven, it is the prophe
tic promise of it as the
eternal home of God’s
people which at the conclusion of John’s Revela
tion compels the prayer of the saints, “Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
Bibliography
Randall Price,
Jerusalem in Prophecy
(Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 1998), Alan A.
McNickle, “The New Jerusalem in Amillennial Theology” (Th.M. Thesis, Dallas Theological
Seminary, 1984), J. Dwight Pentecost,
Things to Come
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1956), Yitzhak I.
Hayut-Man ,
Realizing the Heavenly Jerusalem
, The Academy of Jerusalem Monographs 3
(March, 1995), Wilbur M. Smith,
The Biblical Doctrine of Heaven
(Chicago: Moody Press,
1968), G. N. H. Peters,
The Theocratic Kingdom
3 (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publciations, 1952),
John F. Walvoord,
The Millennial Kingdom
(Grand Rapids: Zonderv
an Publishing Co., 1959),
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1966), Alva J. McClain,
The Greatness
of the Kingdom
(Winona Lake: BHM Books, 1974).
Dr Mensah-Koomson 11 years ago
FASTING AND PRAYING IS NOT THE ANSWER TO GHANA'S PROBLEMS. WE FAST AND PRAY AND SPEAK IN TONGUES ALL THE TIME BUT OUR PROBLEMS REMAIN. AFTER ALL THE PRAYING WE GO TO THE CHINESE AND JAPANESE FOR ASSISTANCE. WE GO BEGGING THE ... read full comment
FASTING AND PRAYING IS NOT THE ANSWER TO GHANA'S PROBLEMS. WE FAST AND PRAY AND SPEAK IN TONGUES ALL THE TIME BUT OUR PROBLEMS REMAIN. AFTER ALL THE PRAYING WE GO TO THE CHINESE AND JAPANESE FOR ASSISTANCE. WE GO BEGGING THE NATIONS THAT DONT PRAY TO HELP US. THE LESSON IS SIMMPLE PRAYING AND FASTING AND PAYING TITHES IS NOT THE ANSWER.
IF THE CHINESE AND THE JAPANESE AND THE GERMANS ARE BLESSED TO BE PROSPEROUS ENOUGH TO HELP US, WE HAVE TO LEARN FROM THEM. WHAT MADE THEM PROSPEROUS. THEY HAVE MORE MONEY, THEY LIVE LONGER AND THEIR STANDARD OF LIVING IS HIGHER. WHAT IS THE SECRET TO THEIR SUCCESS? THE SECRET IS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION , HARD WORK AND USING THE BRAINS GOD BLESSED US WITH.
PRAYERS HAS NOT SOLVED OUR WATER AND ELECTRICITY PROBLEMS. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BENEFITTED FROM THE PRAYERS, FASTING, TITHES AND PRAISES, ARE THE PASTORS AND THE SO-CALLED MEN OF GOD. THEY GET RICHER AND FATTER. THEY ENCOURAGE US TO PAY TITHES AND PRAY. .
LET'S LEARN FROM THE CHINESE, JAPANESE AND CANADIANS. THEY DO NOT PRAY TO JESUS. THEY DONT PAY TITHES AND SPEAK IN TONGUES. AFRICANS, WAKE UP! STOP THE LAZINESS! WE CANNOT SLEEP FOREVER! WAKE UP SLEEPING GIANT ! WAKE UP STUPID BLACK PEOPLE !
Isaac Essien 11 years ago
75 percent of Ghanaian are Jews our 4fathers and Mothers came from Jerusalem, after Arabs Invaded jerusalem and the Arabs don't want them to create state of Israel started killing them and because this some of them have to ru ... read full comment
75 percent of Ghanaian are Jews our 4fathers and Mothers came from Jerusalem, after Arabs Invaded jerusalem and the Arabs don't want them to create state of Israel started killing them and because this some of them have to runaway from there to west africa land now Ghana and some are in Nigeria also but later the white man came there to enslave the jews and because of this Ghana have many castles . Blacks are the natives of the Holy land Jerusalem Psalm 83 vs 4
SAMMY 11 years ago
ALL HUMANS ORIGINATED FROM AFRICA, NOT JERUSALEM. PEOPLE MIGRATED OUT OF AFRICA TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. PEOPLE WENT TO JERUSALEM, THE MIDDLE EAST, EUROPE, AMERICA ETC OUT OF AFRICA.
BEFORE JERUSALEM, THERE WAS MOTHER AFR ... read full comment
ALL HUMANS ORIGINATED FROM AFRICA, NOT JERUSALEM. PEOPLE MIGRATED OUT OF AFRICA TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. PEOPLE WENT TO JERUSALEM, THE MIDDLE EAST, EUROPE, AMERICA ETC OUT OF AFRICA.
BEFORE JERUSALEM, THERE WAS MOTHER AFRICA- THE CRADLE OF HUMANITY. EVERY SCIENTIFIC, RELIGIOUS, LINGUISTIC, GENETIC, AARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE POINTS TO AFRICA AS THE HOME OF HUMANITY.
WE ARE FROM AFRICA, NOT JERUSALEM.
So.so 11 years ago
Mahama is really a devil agent to come and doom our dear nation Ghana . A thief ,womaniser, liar and a murderer. Good for nothing man bring woes unto the nation because of the killing of uncle Atta Mills,there is blood on his ... read full comment
Mahama is really a devil agent to come and doom our dear nation Ghana . A thief ,womaniser, liar and a murderer. Good for nothing man bring woes unto the nation because of the killing of uncle Atta Mills,there is blood on his hands . Mahama repent and confess to Ghanaians that you killed atta mills ,rigged the 2012 elections, stole the countries money and good will forgive you and restore our dear land to progression and prosperity. How come a whole country go without water and electricity for years and you are preaching for investors,foolish man the earlier you step down the better for you and the country, for you are incompetent,how many months does it take to appoint ministers.? You are a disgrace to the country and l'm ashame to call myself a Ghanaian.
Nyame Ekuma 11 years ago
Don't be stupid. When u carry drunkards and prostitutes to World Cups and African Footbal tournaments, why didn't u keep the money. Nonsense
after all, is the money to Israel state money ? Fool.
We shall go to Jerusalem ... read full comment
Don't be stupid. When u carry drunkards and prostitutes to World Cups and African Footbal tournaments, why didn't u keep the money. Nonsense
after all, is the money to Israel state money ? Fool.
We shall go to Jerusalem , so go burn the sea and not burn ECG installations. Nonsense
Woman 11 years ago
Please don't come back. We heard you loud and clear. Phew, what a painful piece to read! Check your writing and you will go places with your good intentions!
Please don't come back. We heard you loud and clear. Phew, what a painful piece to read! Check your writing and you will go places with your good intentions!
God exists for everyone in the world. God can be found in Ghana, Israel, Canada, Denkyira, etc. God knows about and acknowldeges Tigare, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Akonnedi, etc. But God does not like evil people: those who kil ...
read full comment
You need to come to the knowledge of God(the Covenant God of Israel) who has extended his covenant relationship to all nations that we should be reconciled to him in a way that his mandated, and that is through Jesus Christ,h ...
read full comment
Should be
Jesus Christ did NOT come into the world to present comparative religion.He came to prove the authenticity of inspired Jewish scriptures and ascribed the writings to himself as the one who was prophesied by all t ...
read full comment
JESUS DID NOT ASK US TO GO TO THE WESTERN WALL IN JERUSALEM TO PRAY. GOD IS EVERYWHERE, GOD IS IN YOUR HEART. WHO SAYS GOD IS IN JERUSALEM? ONLY A PERSON WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THE BIBLE.
GOD IS EVERYWHERE.
The Conjoined Twins And Mighty 'Men Of God’
....................................
When I heard of the conjoined twins at Komfo Anokye hospital I wished this was in the time of Jesus. Peter and Mark would rush to the gre ...
read full comment
The New Jerusalem
Randall Price
The New Jerusalem is describe
d in Scripture as “the Jeru
salem above” (Galatians 4:26),
“the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem,” (Hebrews 12:22) and “the holy city ...
read full comment
FASTING AND PRAYING IS NOT THE ANSWER TO GHANA'S PROBLEMS. WE FAST AND PRAY AND SPEAK IN TONGUES ALL THE TIME BUT OUR PROBLEMS REMAIN. AFTER ALL THE PRAYING WE GO TO THE CHINESE AND JAPANESE FOR ASSISTANCE. WE GO BEGGING THE ...
read full comment
75 percent of Ghanaian are Jews our 4fathers and Mothers came from Jerusalem, after Arabs Invaded jerusalem and the Arabs don't want them to create state of Israel started killing them and because this some of them have to ru ...
read full comment
ALL HUMANS ORIGINATED FROM AFRICA, NOT JERUSALEM. PEOPLE MIGRATED OUT OF AFRICA TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. PEOPLE WENT TO JERUSALEM, THE MIDDLE EAST, EUROPE, AMERICA ETC OUT OF AFRICA.
BEFORE JERUSALEM, THERE WAS MOTHER AFR ...
read full comment
Mahama is really a devil agent to come and doom our dear nation Ghana . A thief ,womaniser, liar and a murderer. Good for nothing man bring woes unto the nation because of the killing of uncle Atta Mills,there is blood on his ...
read full comment
Don't be stupid. When u carry drunkards and prostitutes to World Cups and African Footbal tournaments, why didn't u keep the money. Nonsense
after all, is the money to Israel state money ? Fool.
We shall go to Jerusalem ...
read full comment
Please don't come back. We heard you loud and clear. Phew, what a painful piece to read! Check your writing and you will go places with your good intentions!